Why Your PPC Strategy Might Be Hurting You on Mobile

When it comes to PPC, mobile is one of the most important factors to consider. Yet, many businesses overlook its value and, subsequently, fall short on their strategies. It’s been reported that the majority of media consumption is on mobile, which begs the question —if more media is being consumed on mobile, then why aren’t more advertisers doubling down on mobile-first strategies?

The answer to that requires a few pieces of key insight. First, while the majority of our consumption with media is on mobile, the content is mostly made on desktops/laptops, so our natural inclination is to design for those environments. Second, the manner in which we use search terms varies on desktop and mobile, with mobile winning more and more. This influences the types of terms that we use, as well as how our pipeline/click-through is determined. And third, mobile (unfortunately) is still somewhat overlooked in the design world, with many marketers still viewing it as an afterthought to their marketing and branding efforts online.

With all these factors to consider, it doesn’t make much sense even to begin establishing a paid-per-click campaign without a mobile strategy in mind. Even as annoying as it might seem to consider both mobile and desktop from the jump, the benefits of doing so will set you up with a foundation that’s ironclad. And as the world of digital marketing is an ever changing beast, creating a solid foundation is critical to successfully navigating ongoing changes.

Common Mistakes with PPC

Chances are if you’ve ever experimented with PPC before, then you have a pretty good understanding of how search terms and targeted services work. However, (forgetting mobile for a second), there’s probably a slew of things you overlooked, such as strategic bidding processes and reliable tracking.

With bidding, the game is figuring out what type of budget you can work with and how you can successfully target and hone in on the right terms. Additionally, poor tracking is one the biggest mistakes companies make with their PPC, as they don’t quite know where and what is successful in their efforts. Overall, with all this in mind, one of the biggest takeaways in working with clients boils down to this: having a successful paid-ad pipeline from start to finish on both mobile and desktop is going to be what drives you the furthest.

It’s a Mobile World (and we’re just living in it)

One of our biggest learning lessons on this came from our work with Miami Mattress Outlet. As a discounted mattress warehouse serving through North and South Miami, owner Jorge Gonzales was in trouble with his paid campaigns. Not only did he not having tracking implemented on his AdWords efforts, but he additionally was paying way too much for conversions.

Diving in, we knew we had to set up with the proper channels to track his usage. We found that he was receiving more traffic from searches on mobile over desktop, which made us target mobile aggressively. This included more mobile ads and bidding, as well as changing up his content to focus on the highlights of what made Miami Mattress Outlet special. Additionally, we constructed bi-lingual copy (especially given Miami’s substantial Spanish-speaking population) in a geocentric strategy. Overall, the result was a (mobile-friendly) success as Jorge’s business saw significant increases in revenue.

Final Thoughts

A successful mobile strategy is one of the most necessary functions for a business to survive today. Not only do most people do their searching and reading on their phones, but factoring in a solid pipeline to drive results from mobile screens is one of the biggest things business owners overlook. However, as we saw with Miami Mattress Outlet, establishing and honing in on a smart, mobile-based strategy can provide tremendous success for your business.

If you’d like to read more about our work with Miami Mattress Outlet, I highly encourage you to check out our case study below. Not only will it deliver you some key insights, but it gives a great overview on to start approaching your mobile strategy as well. And as technology has dictated to us, it’s a mobile world we live in, and it’s time to start thinking about it as such.

Author: White Shark Media

White Shark Media is a leading Digital Marketing Agency that provides PPC Management to small and medium-sized businesses.